Bracen
A name of obscure origin, possibly related to "bracken" or bracken fern.
Name Census estimates that about 85 living Americans carry the first name Bracen. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Bracen today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bracen births was 2010 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bracen. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Bracen. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
85
~ 1 in 4,032,404 Americans
Peak year
2010
14 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2019 SSA rank
#10,975
Tracked since 2005
Popularity
Bracen: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Bracen from the 2000s through to the 2010s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 76 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Bracen by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Bracen during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Bracen
The name Bracen is believed to have originated from the Old English word "bracen," which means "fern" or "bracken." This suggests that the name may have its roots in early Anglo-Saxon culture, dating back to the 5th to 11th centuries AD. The name likely derived from the verdant landscapes of the British Isles, where ferns and bracken were abundant.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bracen can be found in the Domesday Book, a medieval census commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This record lists a landowner named Bracen de Vere, who held estates in Buckinghamshire, England. It is possible that this individual's name was a nod to the local flora or a reflection of their connection to the land.
In the 12th century, a Benedictine monk named Bracen of Worcester was renowned for his scholarly works on theology and philosophy. His treatises on the nature of the soul and the concept of free will were widely circulated and influential during his time.
During the Renaissance period, a Portuguese explorer named Bracen da Silva is said to have accompanied Vasco da Gama on his historic voyage to India in 1498. Da Silva's detailed accounts of the voyage and his observations of the Indian subcontinent became valuable resources for future explorers and cartographers.
In the 18th century, a British botanist named Bracen Woodward made significant contributions to the study of ferns and other cryptogamic plants. His pioneering work, "The Fern Collector's Companion," published in 1789, was a comprehensive guide to identifying and preserving fern specimens, and it helped fuel a renewed interest in the study of these ancient plants.
Another notable figure with the name Bracen was a Scottish artist and illustrator named Bracen MacLeod, who lived in the late 19th century. MacLeod's intricate etchings and woodcuts, often depicting scenes from Scottish folklore and mythology, were highly sought after by collectors and art enthusiasts of the time.
While the name Bracen may have fallen out of common usage in recent decades, its historical roots and associations with nature, exploration, and artistic expression make it a unique and evocative choice for those seeking a name with a rich cultural heritage.
People
Bracen + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bracen as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Bracen: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bracen?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 85 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bracen going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 4,032,404 US residents.
Is Bracen a common name?
We classify Bracen as "Very Rare". It ranks above 62.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 86 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bracen most popular?
The single biggest year for Bracen was 2010, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bracen is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Bracen in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Bracen a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Bracen in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Bracen still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Bracen in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Bracen can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Bracen as a first name?
If you just want to know how many Americans are named Bracen, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.